A stocking-filler-sized compilation of Christmas lore, revealing the intriguing origins of the traditional festivities. Forty short pieces on individual traditions are each accompanied by charming vintage illustrations from the British Library's collection of Christmas books, cards and ephemera.
Origins of the Feast at Christmas
The decision to celebrate Christ's birthday on 25 December; the Yuletide festival of Anglo-Saxon England; Saturnalia; evergreens taken inside in midwinter; the original Captain Christmas
`Hark the Herald Angels Sing' - Christmas in and out of Church
Holly symbolizing Christ's crown of thorns; the role of Midnight Mass; European celebrations of Epiphany and the importance of the Three Kings
George Goodwin is a historian whose previous books include Benjamin Franklin in London, the British Life of America's Founding Father; Fatal Colours, Towton 1461; and Fatal Rivalry, Flodden 1513.
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